Things are happening in Readsboro.

For those who don’t know, or don’t remember, a century ago Readsboro was the thriving industrial center of the Deerfield Valley.

Yes, that’s right, Readsboro.

As has been so painstakingly chronicled in author Brian Donelson’s “The Coming of the Train,” Readsboro was once the economic and cultural engine of the entire Deerfield Valley. It took Donelson’s book to remind many, and educate others who were not in the area 70 years ago, just how strong Readsboro’s economy was. At the turn of the 20th century, Readsboro had the country’s largest folding chair manufacturing plant; numerous paper and pulp mills; fledgling electric-generating facilities; daily train service to Wilmington, Boston, New York, and points beyond; and an optimistic outlook for continued growth throughout the foreseeable future.

Unfortunately, that future turned out to be quite different indeed. The wood and paper manufacturing dried up, the railroad first pulled back from Wilmington and then, by the early 1970s, went away altogether.

That 60-year decline, from the start of World War II through the new millenium, has left many with the idea that Readsboro never had much going for it, or at best was an old mill town with little or no future.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Readsboro developed a thriving arts community that has helped to jump start new events to bring people back into the town.

Now that same energy is being focused on the renovations of the Bullock Building. Once the centerpiece of the town, the Bullock Building has fallen on the same hard times as the rest of the community. It is so very encouraging to see the energy being put into the building, and also the town. Folks in Readsboro, like other towns of the Deerfield Valley, have come to realize that the best way to revitalize their community is by working together from within, and in concert with their immediate neighbors. While there may not be wealthy industrialists waiting to pour money into Readsboro, as was the case in the late 1800s, there are plenty of regular people who live in the community who are willing to put up sweat equity and volunteer time to help bring the community back.

We think it’s great, and we encourage Readsboro to keep up the efforts. There’s a new train on the track, at least figuratively, and folks in Readsboro are jumping onboard.